The Venus Snare
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Something is wrong with the men in the ARC which puts Abby and Jess in peril. Connor/Abby and Becker/Jess.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: The Venus Snare  
**Author**: Evenstar Estel  
**Rating**: T, M later  
**Characters**/**Pairing**: Connor/Abby, Becker/Jess, Matt, Burton, Lester  
**Spoilers**: Series 4  
**Genre**: Action, Romance, Drama.  
**Summary**: Something is wrong with the men in the ARC which puts Abby and Jess in peril.  
**Author's** **Note**: This is a different take on the conventional "sex pollen" fic. This began as an idea in a Conbykink LiveJournal Community comment fic thread and after some encouragement, I've expanded it. Cheers to Tay_21 for the beta.

The Venus Snare  
2011 Evenstar Estel

Chapter 1

Connor yawned and looked up at the computer screen once more. The diagnostic was only fifty-six percent done. It was taking forever. Normally he'd leave such as task to one of the techs, but after the fiasco the first time he'd tested one of Burton's systems he wasn't about to let the major analyses be done by anyone but him. He'd taken almost all of Burton's programs and rewritten them. He wasn't about to tell the boss that. Philip Burton was brilliant, but he lacked creativity. At Abby's not so subtle suggestion he'd insinuated several sub programs that only a master technician would ever notice, let alone be able to crack. Connor _used_ to have complete control of the ARC's systems and he didn't like being subverted. Now he could have complete control of the ARC if he wanted it and only he and Abby were the wiser. Connor sighed and let his thoughts drift solely to the fiery woman he loved. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. The air smelled sweet, just like Abby. Connor thought back to earlier that morning when he and Abby had shared a shower and all the hungry, passionate things that had occurred there. When Connor's hand strayed down to the growing bulge in his jeans he suddenly realized what he'd been about to do. He opened his eyes and sat up straight. He looked around and hoped no one had noticed. The office walls were all glass, but fortunately he was alone in this part of the ARC. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Having a wank in the ARC might've been something he could've gotten away with in the old days, but definitely not now. For one thing the entire place was hooked up to CCTV _and_ it was just really inappropriate. Still, thoughts of Abby dominated him. He looked at his watch. It was well past time for them to go home. Perhaps he could persuade her to leave now. He could run his test in the morning. Right now he _really_ wanted to shag her. In fact he was consumed by the desire to bury himself inside her and fuck her senseless.

!*!*!

Matt could taste the sweetness of the pollen. It gave a funny, thick feeling to his tongue. He felt warm and much to his dismay, aroused. He stumbled out of the lab and away from his plant specimens. The strange silver blue, bell shaped flowers on the plant seemed to shimmer and the air felt heavy. He really needed to relieve the tension in his body. Images of Emily filled his head. If she were here with him he'd have taken her right here and now. The ARC was practically deserted at this time of night. Most of the support staff had gone. There weren't any women left in the building except Abby and Jess. Jess was young and sweet and reminded him of a kid sister. Abby on the other hand was all woman. Her body was fit with beautiful curves. She was uninhibited and obviously passionate judging by the way she was with Connor. If he couldn't have Emily, Abby would do. He didn't care that she was Connor's girlfriend. He needed to be with Abby or he was sure he'd lose his mind.

!*!*!

Lester knocked back another scotch. Burton frowned on such a thing, but James Lester wasn't one to be told what to do. He'd tow the line and play nice when he had to, but not where the vices that kept him sane were concerned. He stripped off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. His clothes felt too restrictive. He had a splitting headache. He wasn't sure just how he got thinking about Abby Maitland, but there she was inside his head and she was naked. Lester closed his eyes and pictured her there in his office. She was on her knees in front of him, half hidden under his desk. He wanted her cute little mouth around his cock. Lester groaned. Abby had hugged him that one time, as well as the day she and Connor had returned from the Cretaceous. She liked him, didn't she? Lester rose from his desk and went in search of Abby.

!*!*!

Philip Burton had been half way out of the building when he turned back. He'd didn't have much time or patience for Connor's girlfriend. He was used to people being subservient to him and he didn't like the way she challenged him. She had too powerful and influence over Connor. Furthermore she was well aware of the power she wielded. A woman like that needed to be taken down a few pegs. She needed to be shown what a real man was. He wanted to make her see that _he_ was the one with all the power and that he could have her, whether she wanted him or not and then discard her like he did everyone else. He was going to teach her a lesson she would never forget.

!*!*!

Becker dismissed his men and took a moment to himself before he'd gather up his things and go home. It had been a long day. The unit of soldiers that guarded the ARC over night were in the building and dispersing themselves to their positions. The men he'd just sent home for the evening were as exhausted as he was. He'd been pushing them pretty hard these past few weeks. Too many of them had been killed recently and he needed them to tighten up their tactical maneuvers. Becker slumped. He felt out of sorts. He wasn't exactly tired, or hungry, but he felt like he was lacking. His body was craving something but he couldn't say just what. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Perhaps a meal, a beer and a good night's rest would do the trick. It was a shame he'd be going home to an empty flat. It would've been nice to have someone there with him. Someone just like Jess. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his spine. He'd been thinking about her quite a lot lately. He knew full well how much she fancied him. He liked her too, more than he'd ever admit. She was very pretty, with her bright eyes and teasing smile. She was sweet and damned efficient. He liked that in a woman. She was also fierce and extroverted, nothing like the demure women he thought he liked. She'd been dominating his thoughts more and more lately. She may have been young, but she was wonderfully self-possessed. She had strength. He admired her. But damn she was _really_ pretty. He smiled. He was feeling rather bold suddenly. He wondered what would happen if he marched right up to her and kissed her. Would she be too shocked to reciprocate? He imagined her giving in to his advances. He pictured her hand running down his broad chest and down into his trousers to touch his... Becker suddenly felt alert and invigorated. He stalked out of the barracks and went in search of Jess.

!*!*!

Abby closed the air lock between the adjacent lab and the menagerie, smiling to herself. Since her recommendations had been implemented, the menagerie was now the sort of place she felt proud to call hers. The top half of the large enclosure had been replaced with glass, allowing natural light to fill it all day long. At night the animals could see the moon and the stars. Each creature had its own space that had been tailored to their needs. The mammoth had earth beneath its feet and plenty of toys to keep him occupied. They'd brought in a few trees for him to rub against to scratch his itches. He had food and water dispensed when he wanted it through an elaborate system that all the top zoos in the world used. It wasn't perfect, but it was infinitely better than his situation before Abby took over. She was still working on getting him sent to a private zoo. The zoo would have to clear all sorts of government regulations first. The Dracorex was being treated similarly. Her pen was surrounded by foliage and she had a soft bed of moss to rest on. Sid and Nancy had their burrow and all the comforts they'd enjoyed when they lived with Connor and Abby, including Connor's old pillow and blanket. Rex had built himself a nest high up on one of the roof's joists and more or less had free reign of the menagerie. The other creatures were equally as content. Most of all, Abby was pleased and felt like she was doing them a decent service under difficult circumstances. She keyed in the lock and secured the menagerie for the night and went to find Connor. She hoped he fancied Indian takeaway for tonight's dinner. She wanted food and a nice snuggle with her boyfriend in front of the telly before they went to bed.

Exiting the air lock she came face to face with one of Becker's soldiers. He was blocking her way. Abby scowled first, then gave the man a questioning look. He was built like most of Becker's men were, fairly tall and well muscled.

"Excuse me," Abby said pointedly, making to push past him. Instead he intercepted her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her back against the open door. "Hey!" Abby pushed his arms off her with a quick jujitsu maneuver and squeezed past him. She started to run but he grabbed her arm. Abby pulled, but he was too strong and he reeled her in. She was immediately on the full defensive and punched him cold in the face. The solider was dazed but unfortunately not unconscious. To Abby's shock, the man grabbed for her breast, but only snagged her blouse, tearing it open and ripping the seams. She'd had enough. Abby unleashed a torrent of blows in quick succession. Becker's men were all excellent at hand to hand combat, but she was quick and she was angry. She got lucky and delivered a solid blow to his nose, breaking it and finally knocking him out. He collapsed to the floor in a heap. It was then that Abby noticed that there was a significant tenting to the man's standard issue black cargo trousers.

"Ew! Jerk!" she snarled and kicked the unconscious man hard in the ribs. She looked at her ruined shirt and frowned. All the buttons were gone and the front left side was torn down from the shoulder. She didn't exactly fancy walking through the ARC showing off her bra, but she didn't have much choice. Connor always had a spare t-shirt laying around so she'd find him first and then give Becker and earful about what one of the men under his command had just tried to do to her.

She stormed down the hall and rounded the corner, coming face to face with two more soldiers. She stopped short, seeing the menace in their eyes as well as... lust? The both looked like they wanted to eat her alive. Judging by the obvious erections in their trousers their intent was obvious. Abby had no clue what was going on, but it was clear by the dilation of the mens' pupils and the sweat on their faces that they were drugged. She rolled her shoulders forward, lowered her stance and closed her fists, ready for the fight.

!*!*!

Jess was humming to herself as she dropped her lip gloss into her purse, followed by the chunky bracelet she'd been wearing all day. After a while it ceased to be decorative and just got in her way. She hooked the strap of her bag over her head and shoulder, then picked up the two laptops she was taking home to back up and then reformat. She'd put the ADD on remote and the nighttime tech would be in within the hour. She hope to _accidentally_ run into Becker on his way out and maybe convince him to help her carry the laptops to her car for her. Any time they got to spend together was a bonus. There wasn't much opportunity to really talk during working hours. He was always on task. That man seriously needed to relax and have some fun. One of these days she'd work up the courage to ask him out. The fact that he brought her chocolate at least once a week told her that he was at least moderately interested. They bantered back and forth quite a bit. That could be construed as flirting, couldn't it? Jess sighed. The barracks were in the opposite direction than the one she should be heading in, but she wasn't going to leave without at least saying a friendly goodnight. She straightened her back and picked up her pace, her chunky heels making a loud noise on the floor.

One of the soldiers she recognized came out of the galley and made his way towards her purposefully. "Hello!" said Jess cheerily. "It's Charles, right? I don't suppose you've seen Captain Becker have you?" Suddenly he broke into a run and Jess stopped dead in her tracks. She had no clue what was occurring until he grabbed her with snarl and threw her against the wall. The laptops fell from her arms and she gasped for breath. The look she saw in his eyes was absolutely terrifying. He began to paw at her breasts and pressed his body against hers. It took Jess only a second of this treatment before she reacted and slashed him against his face with her nails. The scratches she made were deep and already bleeding, but it didn't deter her attacker in the least. Instead he grabbed her by the hair and started to drag her towards was one of the offices. Jess flailed and kicked, but he was too strong. She did the only thing she could, she screamed.

tbc...

_The muse is feeling rather small and hungry as reviews don't seem to be terribly forth coming. My other ongoing fic, "Blood and Salt" has had over 3000 views, and the last chapter over 150 hits, but sadly only three reviews. That's not so great, is it? :*(_

_A little more love would go a long way :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Connor blinked his eyes several times in rapid succession to clear his vision. He sneezed. Then sneezed again. Then one more time. He thought he'd grown out of his hay fever, but perhaps not. Earlier in the day Matt had mentioned that some of his plants had bloomed and invited him and Abby to come to his lab to see them. Like Abby in the previous incarnation of the ARC, Matt had his own climate controlled lab and had been growing various specimens of flora from the various seeds and pollen that had been tracked through anomalies by creatures and taken root in the soil surrounding the sites. It was another labourious part of the ARC's work in cleaning up after the incursions. A small group of botanists had been enlisted to survey each site weeks and months later to make sure no foreign plants had sprung up and if they did, they were immediately uprooted or poisoned before they could spread.

The air did smell rather sweet now that Connor thought about it. Matt came stumbling around the corner, imbalanced and wavering on his feet. "Matt?" asked Connor. "You okay?"

"No I'm not," said Matt, leaning against the wall, breathing hard. He was sweating and upon closer inspection his skin seemed to shimmer. "I've got a raging hard on."

"Um... that's a little bit too much information, mate. I'll grant you that we're friends, but that's not really something you need to share with me."

"Where's Abby? I need Abby."

Connor was taken a back. His eyebrow shot up and then he scowled. "Okay clearly you're not yourself, so I'll give you a pass for that last comment, but if you talk about _my girlfriend_ like that again I will punch you in the face." Matt slumped to the floor, his hand cupped his crotch and he groaned. Connor recoiled.

Connor left Matt to himself and went in search of Abby. As he passed the elevator it dinged and the doors open. Connor stalled and came face to face with Burton. The man looked flushed and full of rage. Connor could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. Burton grabbed Connor by the lapels and pulled him in. "Where is she!" demanded Burton with a snarl. "Where's that little bitch?"

Connor struggled with Burton and eventually pushed him off. This was starting to get really really weird and worrisome. "What the hell's gotten in to you?" demanded Connor. Burton was displaying similar symptoms to Matt and Connor was starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I'll only ask you once more Connor. Where is Abby?"

Connor stiffened. He didn't like the menace in Burton's voice in regards to his beloved. "You might be me boss, but if you say one more thing about Abby..."

"Abby? Where's Abby!" pleaded Lester as he stumbled out of his office towards Connor and Burton.

"Not you too!" cried Connor. If the situation didn't appear so strange and potentially dangerous Connor would've almost thought it comedic.

"Look, Connor," continued Lester. "Has Abby ever mentioned whether or not she likes older men?"

"Okay, that's enough! I'm really sorry guys, I know you're my bosses, but..." With that Connor grabbed both Burton and Lester by their heads and using all his might, knocked them together. The two men crumpled to the ground and Connor winced. The sound of two hard skulls hitting each other made his knees go weak. Something was seriously wrong. He wondered if he was being affected too, but the fact that he wanted to have sex with Abby really couldn't be counted as a symptom. He _always_ wanted to have sex with Abby. Still, his skin prickled and there was perspiration on his brow. The air smelled sickly sweet like heavy syrup and Matt seemed to be covered in some sort of silver dust.

It was pollen! Matt had said the flowers had bloomed. Connor looked up to the air vent and everything made sense. The ARC's air circulated constantly. There were few windows that opened to the fresh air outside, so it was always being pushed through the ventilation system to be recycled. The pollen was being fed to everyone inside the ARC and making them want to have sex with Abby? Abby!

Connor turned and ran. He had to find Abby! There were at least twenty soldiers in the building at this time. _Oh god_. If anything happened to her he'd lose his mind. He ran down the corridors towards the menagerie shouting her name. He rounded the corner and skidded, nearly losing his feet. She emerged from another hallway wiping a bit of blood from her lip. Her hair was a mess and the front of her blouse was torn open. A sick feeling rose up inside him. She'd been attacked. He choked down the bile in his throat and staggered towards her.

"Abby?" he whimpered, reaching out for her.

"Connor!" she exclaimed, quickly closing the distance between them.

"Oh god..." he gasped, afraid to touch her. She grabbed him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"Connor, I'm fine."

The relief that swept through him was immeasurable. He returned her embrace "You were attacked?"

"By three of Becker's men, who now have broken noses, ribs and arms. What's happened?"

Connor drew back and looked at her hard. She was safe, she hadn't been violated, but he was still overcome with worry for her safety. "Don't you feel strange?"

"No. I feel fine."

"No overwhelming urge to have sex with me then?"

"Excuse me?" If he hadn't looked so serious she would've laughed.

"It's just the men then."

"What is?"

"The sex pollen!"

"The what?"

Connor shook his head. "I'll... I'll explain later. We need to get you somewhere safe and I'll need my laptop" He grabbed her hand and started pulling her along. They encountered no more soldiers as they made their way to Connor's office, but Connor felt the hackles rise on the back of his neck. It was almost as if he could sense the rest of the men on the prowl _hunting_ for his Abby. The pollen was affecting him too, but the primal urge to protect her was infinitely stronger than the primal urge to mate with her. They passed the unconscious bodies of Lester and Burton and Abby gave them a concerned look as Connor continued on purposefully. They retrieved his laptop and were about to make their escape when they both heard an ear piercing scream fill the air. They both voiced their first thought simultaneously.

"Jess!"

!*!*!

Becker had been making his way to Jess's station with the full intent of sweeping her right off her feet, into his arms and kissing her passionately. The closer he got to where he expected her to be, the better he felt about the idea. They'd been dancing around each other for months now. Well, he'd been dancing. Jess was consistently going out of her way to be nice and inviting. He'd once found his favourite chick pea curry in the fridge with his name emblazoned on label along with the threat that if anyone besides himself that dared touch they would have their credit rating demolished inside of one minute. It was clearly Jess who'd done it. There were other subtle reminders of her interest in him. He once complained that the barracks needed televisions to keep his men occupied during their downtime and two days later they'd been installed. He thanked Lester and the man had muttered something about persistent, annoying little upstarts. Jess had been worming her way into his heart for quite some time now. If he was honest with himself he'd admit that he liked having her there. He could picture her in his life. He'd been alone and incredibly lonely for so long. He once thought perhaps he could take things further with Sarah, but of course she'd died and the gaping hole left by Danny, Connor and Abby grew larger. Having Jess to snuggle up with at night appealed greatly to him. She was lovely and feminine and her smile made him feel warm inside. She was the sort of woman a man like him could covet and protect and in turn she'd love him and give him solace from all the terrible things they saw on a day-to-day basis. She was someone he could see himself falling for.

Another thing he liked about Jess was her penchant for short little skirts. He pictured running his hand up the length of her creamy legs and disappearing under one of those little numbers. He stifled a groan and gave his head a shake. He was feeling particularly randy at the moment, which was not his usual style. He was a red blooded man like every other, with his own wants and needs, but years of training allowed him to keep his baser needs in check. For some reason when he thought of Jess Parker he thought of having her in his bed. More than that, he wanted her in his life.

When he heard her fearful scream echo through the ARC's vacant hallways he felt his stomach drop and his guts clench. He immediately sprinted in the direction of her panic filled call. She wasn't at the ADD. He heard her scream again and he followed. Her cries were coming from the direction of the corridor that led to the barracks. He came round the corner and saw a pair of broken laptop computers on the ground as well as one of Jess' patent red leather Mary Jane pumps. He heard the sounds of struggle and he quickly entered the office. The sight before him filled him with a mighty rage. One of his soldiers had pulled Jess to the floor and he was on top of her, attempting to tear her clothes off. Becker acted instantly and grabbed the man by his shoulders pulling him away and throwing him out into the hall. The soldier recovered from Becker's manhandling and was immediately on the attack. Fueled by his instincts to protect Jess, Becker unleashed a torrent of punches and jabs to his opponent, finally ending the confrontation with a good solid head butt. The soldier crumpled to the ground, motionless and unconscious.

Becker turned back to Jess, who still lay on the ground with her hands over her eyes, sobbing. Tentatively Becker crouched down beside her and touched her hand. She jerked and immediately scrambled away from him.

"Jess? It's me," he spoke softly. "It's Becker."

"Becker?" she spoke, focusing on his face and the loving kindness in his eyes. "Becker!" She launched herself into his open arms and clung to him with all her might.

"You're safe now. I've got you." He enclosed her in his arms and held her close, not willing to let go of her for anything. She sobbed against his chest and he surrounded her with his protective embrace. Suddenly Connor and Abby were there with them. Becker met Connor's eyes and saw the same worry reflected back at him.

"We've got serious trouble," Connor said gravely.

tbc...

_Thank you so much everyone for your generous reviews to the first chapter! I hope this one lived up to expectations._

_FYI, the next chapter is going up to an M rating and won't appear in the regular updates._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The two couples made for the sanctuary of the armory at Becker's behest. As they went, Connor explained what he theorized had happened. One of Matt's plants had blossomed and its pollen had been caught up in the ARC's ventilation system and had infected all the men. The women seemed immune to its influence, but the men all became rampantly aroused and aggressive in the most negative of ways. All their inhibitions were gone, replaced by primal need. Their higher brain functions, like reason and morality had vanished.

They were lucky and met no one else in the short journey to the armory until moments before Becker sealed them in with his exclusive pass code. Several soldiers tried futilely to open the door and Jess shook with fear as Becker kept her in the circle of his arms.

"I think we're safe for now," said Connor, breathing a sigh of relief. He and Becker were affected by the pollen, but their feelings for their respective women and the need to protect them had been stronger than the powerful urge to mate. Connor quickly set up his laptop and entered one of his secret sub routines, putting the ARC into lockdown.

"Are you certain?" asked Becker, holding a still crying Jess close to his chest. She clutched him possessively and trembled.

"Yes. This room is impenetrable, not even Burton can get in. The only way someone's getting in here is if they've got atomic grenades and we've got those in here with us," Connor explained.

"What about them out there? They've lost their minds Connor," said Abby, glued to his side.

"Matt's bloody plants!" snarled Becker.

Connor's hands worked furiously over the keyboard. "I'm locking down his lab and sealing off the ventilation to it. No more pollen will escape," Connor explained.

"But what about the pollen already in the ARC?" asked Becker.

Connor thought for a moment then the idea came to him and he began rapidly tapping on his computer again. "I'm reversing the vents in the lab, all the air from the ARC will get sucked into there and I'll bring in fresh oxygen from outside. The pollen in the mens' systems will just have to runs its course."

"How long will that take?" asked Abby.

"Um... I dunno. Hours, probably."

"So we're stuck?" asked Jess, speaking up for the first time now that she'd calmed down sufficiently.

"Sorry, yeah," said Connor. "But at least you're safe."

She nodded and hugged Becker, who didn't seem in any rush to let go of her either.

"We wait it out then," said Abby.

!*!*!

An hour later Connor and Abby sat in a corner by themselves, while Jess and Becker were on the opposite side of the room, obscured from view by a cabinet filled with assault rifles. Now that the situation had calmed down, Becker put a little distance between him and Jess. However he couldn't bare to have her out of arm's reach. She sat opposite him against the wall with their feet touching. Hers were bare, having lost one shoe back in the hallway and taken the other off.

"Becker?" Jess asked tentatively. He'd been keeping his eyes closed, trying to imagine she wasn't there. It was hard to resist with her being so close. He wanted her. He looked at her when she spoke his name. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. I didn't think anyone would at that point. I was so scared. He was going to..."

"Shhh. Try not to think about it. You're safe with me," he soothed.

"I know that." Jess shivered. The armory wasn't a very warm or welcoming place, in fact it was climate controlled to be on the cold side. Some of the weapons were sensitive to extreme heat and it was better to keep the room at a low temp. Jess wasn't wearing much and being as slight as she was, didn't generate much body heat. Becker couldn't help but notice when she rubbed her bare feet to get the circulation going. Cautiously he laid his hands over hers and gently shooed them away. He met her eyes, asking permission and saw her nervous jubilation at his gesture. His hands were very warm and she flushed at his touch. He ventured a little higher up her calves and she gasped. He quickly pulled his hands away.

"I apologize."

"No! No. It's fine. Is it getting warmer in here?"

Becker smirked. He could tell she liked his attentions. He didn't want to push her, but the effects of the pollen were strong and she was so close to him. "Yes, I think it is Jess."

"Um... you should probably kiss me now. If you like." Becker came forward, half crawling as he closed the distance between them. The moment his lips met hers he knew there was no turning back. He wanted Jess, he wanted to make her his. It took all his strength to keep their kiss soft and gentle. He knew she was the sort of girl who would want him to be romantic. After what she'd been through he couldn't rush her or be aggressive. She had to let him know what she wanted. Their tongues rolled against each other for several minutes. Her hand cupped his face and she sighed contentedly against his lips. He drew back and sat facing her. He traced her jaw with the back of his fingers.

"You really are so lovely, Jessica," he whispered.

"You've been bringing me chocolate every Monday for months," was her soft reply. "Were you just being nice or do you really like me?"

"I like you... more than like."

"Is that true? Or are you just being affected by the pollen?"

He took both her hands in his and kissed them. "It's true. I promise. The pollen might've helped lower my inhibitions, but it's _you_ I want and have done for months. I've fallen for you Jessica." He leaned in closer, till their lips were only inches apart.

"I think I'm really, properly in love with you, Becker."

"Hilary. I want you to call me Hilary."

"Hilary," she repeated, then captured his lips for a much more passionate and urgent kiss. She grasped at his shoulders then ran her hands down the hard plain of his chest.

"Jess, please. I want you. I _need_ to have you." She clutched the fabric of his shirt and rested her forehead against his.

"I've never..." He cupped the side of her face and looked earnestly into her eyes.

"It'll be alright. I'll be gentle."

She smiled at him and nodded her head.

!*!*!

Connor was squirming and sweating. He'd given Abby his only shirt to wear since hers had been ruined. Sweat dripped between his shoulder blades and down his spine. His wrung his hands together and tried to breathe evenly. Abby observed him with concern. His face was flushed and he looked like he was in pain.

"Connor? Are you okay?" Abby asked, placing her hand on his knee. Connor whimpered. "Connor?"

"Abby, you really shouldn't be touching me," he replied, swallowing hard. "You might've forgotten, but I'm a man too."

Abby suddenly realized that Connor's system was in the full grip of the pollen's effects. She looked downwards and saw the massive bulge in his jeans. He was painfully aroused and resisting for her sake.

"Connor, why didn't you say something?"

"You n' Jess were attacked! I was hardly going to put the moves on you after something like that!"

"Oh, Conn." She put her hand back on his knee, sliding it up his thigh. He began to shake and Abby felt a great swell of love for him. He was always putting her needs before his own. She touched his face and turned it towards her. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He moaned into her mouth and slipped his tongue inside to deepen the kiss. After a moment, she pulled away and beheld the lust in his eyes that her kiss had awakened.

"I'm sorry Abby, but I need to have you, please let me!" He resisted touching until he heard her answer.

"Of course Connor. I trust you completely. I know how much you love me. Let me help you."

He sighed with relief, his hand immediately going to his belt and unfastening it. He undid the button on his jeans and unzipped, already feeling the tension start to drain from him. As he leaned in to kiss her again they heard the soft sighs of pleasure coming from both Jess and Becker on the other side of the room.

"Looks like they've finally sorted themselves out. They were getting to be as bad as we were with the unresolved sexual tension," Abby laughed.

"C'mere." Connor took her by the waist and brought her into his lap. He took his t-shirt from her body, then deftly unhooked her bra and pulled it down her arms and tossed it away. He pressed his lips between her breasts before dragging them over the swell of one to pull her already hard nipple into his mouth.

His suckling sent shocks of pleasure down to her core and Abby rocked her hips against his erection. It wasn't enough for Connor and he lay her back. He stripped Abby of her clothes before seeing to his own. She was passive, letting him take the lead. Connor spread her legs and climbed on top of her. He sheathed his hard cock into her tight heat to the hilt and immediately felt relief. "Oh fuck yes!" he cried.

Abby arched beneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to push hard against her going as deep as he could. He reveled in the feel of her surrounding him for a moment only before he was compelled to move. He bucked his hips and struck against Abby's sweet spot with each thrust, making her cry out and quiver around him. They moved frantically, grasping each other and losing themselves in a wild, primal mating that had them both exploding in orgasms within minutes. As Abby came out of her pleasure induced haze she realized Connor was still buried deep inside her and hard as stone. He'd come inside her, she'd felt his release, but the pollen obviously hadn't run its course yet. Abby relaxed and wrapped her body around Connor's, settling in for a few more hours of pleasure as he began to take her once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Connor awoke he'd forgotten where he was. He was aware of the fact that his face was nestled between Abby's breasts, so at least that seemed right. Everything else was foreign. He was cold and the floor beneath him was hard and unyielding. His mouth felt like he'd been guzzling pancake syrup and he had a headache. He nuzzled Abby's bare breasts and whimpered. This was worse than a hangover. He felt Abby's hands soothingly petting his hair and he reluctantly opened his eyes. As soon as he saw the armory surrounding him, the events of the night before came flooding back.

"Connor? You all right?" Abby asked, touching his face.

"No, not really. M'head's killing me," he groaned. He closed his eyes and hid against her. She kissed the top of his head and stroked his temple with her thumb. "How long have I been out?"

"Just a few hours. It's just gone 4am. How else are you feeling? Any more urges?"

"You mean has the sex pollen worn off?"

"Yes. You don't have a fever anymore."

"I think it's passed, except for the after effects." He gingerly sat himself up and opened his eyes in time to see Abby putting on her bra and pulling his t-shirt over her head. She already had her jeans on. He was surprised to find himself in his boxers and jeans. "Did you dress me?"

Abby gave him a quick peck on his lips. "After the last time you sorta passed out. You were exhausted and spent and it's a bit on the cold side in here. Besides, you'd gone soft for the first time in five hours so I figured you were done. It was a pretty good five hours, by the way. You might want to bottle that stuff."

"Not on your life! It turned all the men into rampaging rhinos. If it wasn't for the fact that I love you more than anything else in the universe, I don't know if I would've been as in control of myself as I was."

"Don't worry, I wasn't serious. And you wouldn't have hurt anyone no matter what. I believe that down to my bones. You know I rather forgot what was happening on the other side of the armory's door until you fell asleep. I can't imagine the horrible things that would've happened if most of the staff hadn't gone home already. Thank heavens for you and Becker otherwise Jess n' I wouldn't have spent the evening as nice as we did."

"Speaking of... where are those two?"

"Behind the table. Becker's in much the same state as you are. Jess and I had a nice long chat after you two conked out."

"So, they... uh?"

"Yep, just like us. At one point he asked her to marry him, but she told him she thought it was just the pollen talking and he's to ask her again in a year. It was very sweet though. I think they'll make a lovely couple."

Connor's brow furrowed and laid his head against Abby's shoulder. "I don't think I've ever had a weirder night in all my life and that's saying something. I'm sorry if I was a little... um..."

"A little what?"

"Sorry if I got a bit rough with yah. Once we got going I really didn't have much control."

"Don't be silly. I'm not made of glass. You know how I like it. Everything was great. Sure, the circumstances were strange and scary in the beginning, but once we got locked in here and calmed down, it was really fantastic sex."

"Okay. Okay. Thanks." The fact that Connor blushed made Abby smile. She kissed his cheek and gave him a cuddle.

An hour later Connor, Abby, Becker and Jess all sat next to each other on the floor, leaning against a munitions locker. They each had a portion of the giant bar of chocolate Jess had in her purse. She wore Becker's jacket as well as his socks. Abby caught the young girl's eye and smiled at her. Jess blushed ten shades of red and Becker put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. The four of them watched the screen on Connor's laptop. He had accessed the CCTV and they were checking to see if it was safe to leave the confines of the armory. The ARC was still in lockdown and various soldiers were stuck wherever they happened to be at the time. Most were asleep, some were pacing, but none seemed to showing distress from the effects of the pollen. Matt was awake and sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall. Burton and Lester were awake and arguing in Lester's office. They both had huge welts on the sides of their heads. Connor prayed the two men had some sort of amnesia. They all rose to their feet and Connor winced as he hit the button to open a communication link to Lester's office.

"Um... hi guys," he spoke. Abby took his hand in hers to give him support. "How are you feeling?"

"CONNOR TEMPLE!" shouted Lester. "What the hell have you done?"

"Connor, release the ARC at once!" commanded Burton. Connor's back stiffened. After the way Burton had spoken about Abby, Connor wasn't in the mood to do anything Philip Burton asked. In fact, Connor was starting to see his boss in a new light.

"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet. Sit tight, I'll get back to you."

"What do you mean..." Lester shouted. Connor immediately cut off the sound.

"Well, I think I might be imminently fired," sighed Connor. Abby smirked and laid a comforting hand in the hollow of his back just above his belt.

"They seem back to normal," observed Abby. Connor sighed.

"And if they're not?"

"Then we've got weapons," said Becker as he hoisted two of the more modest EMD guns from the rack and handed them to Connor and Abby before selecting a large one for himself. He smirked at Jess and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And you've got me."

"Actually," Jess stated, as she relieved Becker of his weapon and secured it in her capable hands. "I'll cover you."

Becker all but growled with his approval, grabbing another EMD for himself. It was good to see the return of the confident, no nonsense woman he'd fallen for. Connor released the ARC from lockdown and bit by bit the systems came back online. The doors opened and the lights came back to full power. Connor had made certain to keep the ventilation systems functioning as they had been the night before. Matt's lab was under a strict quarantine. They exited the armory with weapons in hand and made their way towards the main hub. The able bodied soldiers that were left in the ARC gathered themselves in front of the barracks and stood in formation. They kept their eyes fixed ahead and said nothing. The ones that Abby had injured and the one Becker had pummeled were taken to the infirmary by their fellow soldiers. Becker's second task after restoring order to the ARC would be to write up the immediate transfers for the men. Logically he knew it was not their fault that they'd reacted to the pollen, but Becker wouldn't have Abby or Jess see the ones that had attacked them ever again. He also didn't think _he_ would be willing to encounter them either.

Connor grabbed his laptop and the four of them made their way to the main hub, each with their senses ready to detect any sign of attack. Connor and Becker kept their women protectively close. Becker was shoulder to shoulder with Jess as she went forwards with the large EMD in her hands. Connor knew Abby could kick his ass seven ways to Sunday if she wanted, but he kept his arm around her waist and kept her turned into him. Abby was enjoying Connor's new found possessive streak. He'd thoroughly shagged her the night before and she was still on a high from it. Of course the pollen had a primarily negative effect, but it had awakened something primal in Connor and she found it irresistible.

Lester and Burton were with Matt at the door to his lab as he tried to explain his theory as to what had occurred. Silence fell when the others arrived on scene. Lester gave Connor's naked chest a disapproving glare, as well furrowing a brow at Jess having men's socks on her feet in addition to carrying a very large weapon and a Gucci handbag. There was an awkward silence for some time until Matt cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.

"Passiflora edulis, I think," spoke Matt. "At least, a very primitive version of it. You can tell by the five by ten pattern of the petals and stamen. I can't tell right now, but the vines might be fruit-bearing."

"Yes, thank you for that lesson, Mr. Anderson, but that's highly irrelevant under the circumstances," barked Lester. "We have a potent mind altering pollen contamination on our hands! The lot should be incinerated."

"Let's not be hasty, James," interrupted Burton. Connor tightened his hold on Abby to the point where she winced as his fingertips left bruises on her hip. "Now Matt, you said these plants could one day bear fruit? Would the flesh have a similar effect on a man as the pollen?"

"More than likely, yeah. Lester is right, it should be destroyed. A lot of innocent people could get hurt if this got out to the general populous."

"I agree," said Becker. "If it weren't for Connor locking down the ARC, it would be infecting the city already."

"Yes, of course. Well done Connor." The tone in Burton's voice belied him. Connor could practically see the wheels turning in the man's head. "I wonder about the medicinal potential of the plant. I have a lab in Manchester that would be able to conduct the appropriate experiments."

"What on Earth for?" questioned Connor irately. Abby could feel the blood angrily pumping through Connor's veins. Burton must've sensed it too because he suddenly stood a little straighter and his face darkened.

"Pardon for being crass, but drugs such as Viagra are very very lucrative. This new plant would be exceedingly easy to grow and reproduce. Furthermore, the public will be far more inclined to consume an organic plant based product that sells for a fraction of the price of the current market standard. The potential revenue could be limitless! Yes... yes, this will be excellent." Burton turned back to observe the plants in the lab as they continued to fill the air with their pollen. Connor exchanged horrified looks with the rest of the team before breaking from Abby and opening up his laptop. Burton was too engrossed in his imaginings of world domination through irresponsible pharmaceuticals to notice what Connor was doing until it was too late. The room was flooded with gas then suddenly ignited in flames. Every last plant, down to its roots wilted, turned black and eventually disintegrated into nothing but dust in mere seconds. The rest of the lab was destroyed in the massive fire. Burton turned on Connor with a rage coursing off his entire body. Abby stepped forward, ready to defend her man, but to everyone's shock, it was Jess who confronted him first. She hoisted up the EMD and held it aloft and straight at Burton's chest.

"Not so fast," she said firmly.

"You have ten seconds to lower that weapon before I fire you!"

"No, you have ten seconds to back off before I fire _on_ you!"

"I think she means it, Philip," interjected Lester, trying very hard not to smirk. Burton scowled at the lot of them before turning on his heels and storming away. Lester sighed. "Jess, have a crew get started on the clean up. Becker, I'll trust the discipline of your men to you. I suppose you'll all want to take a personal day. Fine have at it, but I expect things to return to status quo tomorrow - Tyrannosaurus Rexes in Picadilly Circus and the like. I'll deal with _him_." Lester rolled his eyes, waved them off and went back in the direction of his office. There would of course be repercussions where Burton was concerned, but Lester couldn't quite bring himself to truly care. Perhaps a call to the Minister to report Burton's disregard for public safety was in order.

Becker and Jess soon slipped away, weapons in hand. Matt nodded towards Connor and Abby, took one last look at his fire blackened lab as the remaining flora continued to burn, then walked away. Abby turned into Connor and circled her arms around his waist.

"You were pretty forceful with Burton there," stated Abby, looking up at him with loving eyes. Connor stroked his hands up and down her bare back under the t-shirt she wore.

"I think I've had a change of heart about the man. I don't think I like him at all in fact."

"That's good to hear, puts my mind at ease."

"M'sorry. I've been a blind idiot, haven't I?"

"Little bit, yeah."

"Forgive me?"

"Already have done. Come on, let's go home. I'm pretty sure Jess won't be coming back to the flat for the rest of the day, or the night. I want to see if there's any residual effects of the pollen in your system." She teased him a little bit by grazing her nails down his naked chest, sending a shiver through his entire body. Connor hummed appreciatively and grabbed her bottom, roughly pulling her against him. She felt him hardening already.

"Oh there's residuals alright, hours worth."

Abby went up on her toes and fused her mouth to his for a ferociously passionate kiss.

"I thought I gave you two the day off?" came Lester's voice over the intercom outside Matt's lab. "If you rather I put you to work..."

Connor and Abby broke apart and made a beeline for the exit.

The End


End file.
